A change in the Harrisburg School District will impact more than 1,700 students. Starting in August, students in kindergarten through eighth grade will no longer be at one school.

Dr. Sybil Knight-Burney, superintendent of Harrisburg schools, and Chief Recovery Officer Gene Veno are working together to make history.

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“We meet regularly, we talk all hours of the day,” Veno said. “This is an exciting time if you have children in the district in third or fourth grade knowing that the fifth, sixth, and eighth grade model is going to change."

Burney says it’s been at least 10 years since the district had three middle schools.

“It’s an opportunity to have more of a laser focus on helping the children,” said Burney.

Rowland is already a middle school, but starting in the fall, fifth through eighth graders will also attend Camp Curtin and Marshall. The middle schools will now be called academies.

“Students will still see the teachers that they left in the other schools, so that will be good,” said Burney.

More than 1,700 students and about 50 teachers will be going to different schools.

The district says about 1,000 of those students will be taking the bus instead of walking. The district says if needed, it will use no-interest loans from the state to cover the extra costs.

“We looked at the minimal impact on transporting students and this was minimal impact of transportation cost and this was the best way to go,” said Veno.

The district says bringing in middle schools prevents the district form having to close a school due to the drop in enrollment.

Burney is confident this move will even keep students in school.

“We know students start to drop out in middle school,” said Burney.

She says this will help teachers focus on students and allow them to intervene before it’s too late.

If you ask Burney and Veno, starting middle schools is really a fresh start for everyone.

During the summer, the district will hold meetings to go over the school changes with parents. This is part of the financial recovery plan that was approved by the school board two weeks ago, and the state department of education has approved the plan, as well.